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A Flurry of Recent Criminal Activity Has Kept Smithville Police Busy

Smithville Police Chief Richard Jennings is urging you not to leave purses and other valuables unattended in your automobile or shopping cart when you go to the store or other places.

Thefts of these kind have been a problem lately.

Chief Jennings says in one recent case, a woman attending a ball game at DeKalb Middle School left a pocketbook in her car in the school parking lot and when she came back, the pocketbook was gone. Someone had gotten in the car and taken the purse which contained money, medication, and some important papers. The woman, after making the discovery of the theft, went to the police department to report the crime to Chief Jennings.

No arrests have been made

Meanwhile, in another case, Chief Jennings says someone recently stole some checks from a resident at 701 Fisher Avenue and later forged and cashed three of them at a local bank in the amounts of $120.31, $12.05, and $186.56. Chief Jennings says the theft apparently occurred while the victim was in the hospital.

Officer Travis Bryant took the report on the crime.

In another case, a resident at 915 Short Mountain Street recently reported the theft of a large cast iron antique 25 gallon pot from her front yard. The woman valued the pot at $1,200. The report was taken by part time officer and constable Mark Milam.

41 year old Lisa Pyles of Jones Mill Road, Smithville was recently arrested in a shoplifting case and charged with theft of property under $500. During a search subsequent to arrest, some drug paraphernalia was found on Pyles so she was additionally charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to a report filed by Officer Randy King, he was called to Mapco Express late Saturday night on suspicion of a shoplifter. The clerk alerted King that Pyles had placed some items in her jacket she hadn't paid for and left the store. Officer King followed her into the parking lot, where she had gotten in her truck. He saw that she was trying to remove items from her coat. Officer King asked her to step out of the truck. As she got out, Pyles continued to remove items from her pocket to hide their discovery. In the floor of the truck, Officer King noticed several items Pyles had placed there including a package of Doritos, beef jerky, spinach dip, four packs of meats and cheese snacks, several small bags of chips and a pack of gum. All items were recovered.

Pyles will be in court on the charges March 20th.

31 year old Refugio Gonzales Rodriguez was charged with a first offense of driving under the influence on Sunday morning after an investigation by Officer Brad Tatrow.

Chief Jennings says on Sunday at 4:18 a.m. Officer Tatrow noticed a gray Ford Explorer in the parking lot of an apartment complex at 322 West Broad Street. Officer Tatrow stopped, got out of his patrol car, and approached the vehicle. He noticed an Hispanic male sitting in the drivers seat of the truck. The vehicle was running and the lights were on. The man was behind the wheel, passed out, but still holding a beer in his hand. Officer Tatrow banged on the window to get his attention. The man slowly woke up, looked at the officer, and took two more swallows of beer. Officer Tatrow asked the man to get out of the truck. He complied but was sluggish and stumbled The man was asked to submit to a series of field sobriety tasks which he failed. Rodriguez was taken to the Smithville Police Department where he submitted to a toximeter test and blew a .14.

His bond is $1,000 and he will be in court on the charge March 13th.

37 year old Clinton Jerome Maples of South Mountain Road, Smithville was charged Friday night with public intoxication.

Chief Jennings says on Friday night, Sergeant Joey D. Jones was flagged down by a man at Royal Oak apartments. The man told the officer that someone was sitting in the breeze way of an apartment building, who had earlier been going around knocking on doors looking for someone, but the person he was trying to find didn't live there. Sergeant Jones made contact with the man who identified himself as Maples. He had a strong smell of alcohol on his breath and person and was unsteady on his feet. Sergeant Jones had to help him stand up. Maples was charged with public intoxication. His bond is set at $1,000 and he will be in court Thursday.

Stephen Hunter Pugh was picked up at the Central Dispatch location on South Mountain Street Sunday night on a violation of probation warrant.

Chief Jennings says Officer Randy King was summoned to the Central Dispatch location to check out a suspicious person. Officers King and Tatrow arrived to find Pugh attempting to sell a red step ladder to the dispatcher. He seemed to be confused and disoriented. Officer King asked him what he was doing trying to sell a ladder to the dispatcher. Pugh shrugged his shoulders and didn't answer. When officers learned, through a warrants check, that Pugh was wanted for violation of probation, he was taken to the Sheriff's Department and his vehicle was towed. The ladder he was trying to sell belonged to his grandfather.

Smithville Police are investigating a domestic assault case, which was reported just before midnight Sunday night.

Chief Jennings says Officer Randy King was dispatched to the emergency room of DeKalb Community Hospital where the victim was being treated.

The victim told the officer that when she went to her former residence to get some items she had left, an argument ensued between her and the former boyfriend, and that she was assaulted.

No arrests have been made.

29 year old Heather D. Colwell of 622 Restview Avenue was charged Monday with Public Intoxication.

Chief Jennings says on Monday he answered a call to come to the parking lot of Value Rent on Broad Street to investigate a possible intoxicated person. "I arrived and saw a car fitting the description in the parking lot. Two persons were in the vehicle, which backed out of the parking space in front of the game room, and pulled over in front of the Value Rent. I noticed the driver side door come open, and the driver leaned her head out and started to throw up in the parking lot. I approached the vehicle and found the driver to be Colwell. Lieutenant Steven Leffew arrived to assist and Colwell was placed under arrest for Public Intoxication. The passenger of the vehicle, James A. Barrett, Jr. had an outstanding warrant against him from the Sheriff's Department. Colwell was transported to the Police Department and Barrett was taken to the county jail. Her bond is $1,000 and she will be in court March 13th.

On Tuesday morning, 24 year old David Michael Teachout was charged with assault.

Chief Jennings says Sergeant Joey Jones was called to 558 East Main Street on a complaint of an assault. Upon arrival, a lady in the front yard motioned for the officersto stop. He exited his patrol car and walked toward her. She stated that there was a fight inside the house between her brother (Teachout) and her ex-husband and that her mother and ex-husband were holding Teachout down on the bed. Sergeant Jones went in the house and secured Teachout, who had been drinking. The officer spoke with all parties involved. The sister who called was Jerri Spivey. She stated that her ex-husband had been there all day helping with the kids. When Teachout called and asked if he was there, she advised that he was there. Teachout said that he had better be gone when he got there. Upon his arrival, Clinton Spivey and Jerri Spivey were in her bedroom watching TV, when Teachout entered the bedroom and started hitting Clinton Spivey. The mother, Brenda Teachout and the ex-husband were able to hold Teachout on the bed until the officer arrived.

Teachout told the officer he had drank six beers. He will be in court on the assault charge on March 13th. His bond is $2,500.